It’s obvious that the PlayStation Move isn’t doing very well in the market, being outshined by the Xbox Kinect at every turn, so it’s understandable that Sony wants to even out the playing field. Last year, the company applied for a patent of a device that may stand up to the Kinect’s popularity, and was recently approved by the USPTO.
Described as a depth-sensing device for “affording a real-time three-dimensional interactive environment”, several reporters are starting to call this an updated version of the PS Eye, a digital camera for the PS3 and Move which functions much like the Kinect’s gesture recognition feature. However, the patent doesn’t describe the device in detail outside of a webcam-like peripheral depicted in the images, so whether or not it’s indeed a new kind of PS Eye is still up in the air.
The rest of the patent talks about what the functions of the device would be, such as the use of infrared to gauge the environment’s depth, which is really nothing new if you’re familiar with gesture-recognition technology, interactive gaming and the companies that are dabbling in it. Of course, this wont be the first time that Sony’s thought of using this kind of technology for gaming consoles, but the last time the company came up with the idea, it was set aside in favor of more button-based controllers.
It’s also worth mentioning that if Sony does go through with its plans for creating a device that rivals the Kinect, it may not be for the PS3. With more news of the next-generation consoles coming in waves, it wouldn’t be a surprise if the company decides to release its own depth-sensing peripheral for a new console- the PS4 maybe? All we can do right now is wait till official word comes out.
(source)
You might also like
Tags: kinect, sony, sony motion controller patent, sony patent, uspto
